Quote 1
"The stories Miss Wilcox sent to New York weren't about kings or musketeers," Weaver said. "That one about the hermit Alvah Dunning and his Christmas all by himself, that was the best story I ever read."
"And old Sam Dunnigan wrapping up his poor dead niece and keeping her in the icehouse all winter till she could be buried," Minnie added. (3.abecedarian.68-69)
Even early in A Northern Light, Mattie's drawn to the compelling nature of both her community and the reality of life within her community. And her friends realize that the reality of their lives is far more interesting to them than some of the more elusive topics of literature.
Quote 2
Weaver's eyes locked on mine. "It's not work that stops you, is it, Matt? Or time? You've always had plenty of one and none of the other. It's that promise. She shouldn't have made you do it. She had no right." (3.abecedarian.80)
As Mattie's complaining about the responsibilities that she feels to her family, Weaver pinpoints a hard truth that Mattie's not ready to admit: it's not just the physical labor that prevents Mattie from pursuing her dream. There's a psychological component to the duty that Mattie feels, and it's this mental obstacle that she must overcome if she is ever to leave her family and attend college.
Quote 3
"Go round cringing like a dog, Matt," he said, "and folks will treat you like one. Stand up like a man, and they'll treat you like a man." That was fine for Weaver, but I wondered sometimes, How exactly do you stand up like a man when you're a girl? (3.abecedarian.55)
Once again, Weaver says some wise words, implying that people's views of themselves and how they comport themselves is a pretty big social cue for how others can and should treat them. But Mattie, too, strikes at the heart of one of the social issues in the book: How do these rules change between men and women? Do you think it matters that Weaver is a black man?
Quote 4
Weaver shook me off. He turned around and smiled. A huge, horrible smile. "Why, sure, Mistuh Boss, suh!" he hollered. "I be right along, suh, right along! On de double!"
"Weaver!" his mother called. Her voice sounded frightened.
"Weaver, don't!" I hissed, not knowing what he was going to do but knowing from experience that it wouldn't be smart or good. (14.monochromatic.60-62)
When a man in the train station treats Weaver as a simple servant, Weaver code-switches, dropping his real persona and adapting a way of speaking that fits the man's idea of what a black man is or should be. Notice the change in his tone and his speaking. Notice, too, that Mattie and Weaver's mamma are scared for him. We have to wonder if Weaver is scared for himself or just angry, and where the emotion and drive to stand up for himself, given the lack of social power he possesses, comes from.
Quote 5
"You ought to use your words, not collect them. You ought to write with them. That's what they're for," Weaver said. (3.abecedarian.60)
Weaver falls into a different camp than Mattie; while she likes to horde her words because they are so precious to her, he takes a much more utilitarian view. Words are meant to be used. And we have to wonder which view Mattie aligns herself with as she leaves Eagle Bay.
Quote 6
Mr. Sperry took Weaver's chin in his hand and grimaced at the damage. A cut eye that was already blackening. A nose that might well be broken. A lip as fat and shiny as a garden slug. "It's just a word, son. I've been called worse," he said.
"Beg your pardon, Mr. Sperry, but you haven't," Weaver said. "I'm going to the justice of the peace tomorrow," he added. "I'm telling him what happened. I'm pressing charges." (31.limicolous.18-19)
There are so many layers to the word Weaver was called; there's disdain and history and ignorance and self-righteousness and prejudice… the list goes on. Like Mattie, Weaver believes that words have power, and so he, because of his personality, refuses to let other men take power from him with his words.
Quote 7
"There." He points to the far end of the dock. A skiff is tied there. Its cushions are gone and its oarlocks are empty. "I went into the parlor after supper. To look at her." He is staring out at the lake. He closes his eyes. When he opens them again, his cheeks are wet.
"Oh, Weaver, don't," I whisper, touching his shoulder.
His hand finds mine. "I hate this place, Mattie," he says. "It kills everything." (8.23-25)
We need to put this in context. Even though this happens toward the beginning of the novel, Weaver, in chronological time, has experienced the loss of his home and his dream for college. So for Weaver, as for Mattie, Grace's death is incredibly symbolic of his own loss of childhood and innocence. Weaver is convinced that he's going to have to stay in Eagle Bay forever, and he can't stand the prospect.